This invention is in the field of coolers and more specifically coolers produced from foamed plastic material. Beverages such as beer may be stored in relatively large containers which are relatively difficult to cool once the containers are transported to the dispensing location. Complex fabricated coolers are undesirable since the expense of such a cooler is too high to justify the use and possible discarding of same. Thus, many coolers have been provided produced from low cost materials. In many cases, such coolers did not provide sufficient insulation and will not control the amount of cooling medium surrounding the container. A variety of cooling devices have been provided for use with kegs of beer. For example, the keg may be placed within a bag or beneath a cover such as shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,443,397, issued to Donovan, et al. and 3,614,875 issued to McCallun. Rigid boxes or coolers for holding a keg in a horizontal position are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,315,491 issued to Zant, 3,627,399 issued to Addison, et al., 3,315,846 issued to Landis, et al., and 3,789,622 issued to Yanes. Coolers have also been provided for holding the beer keg in a housing having ice therein such as shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,159,729 issued to Ribble and 3,790,032 issued to George.
Despite the prior coolers, it is still the practice to place a keg of beer in a large open topped metal container and to then fill the container with ice. A heavy tarpaulin or canvas is then typically draped across the container for insulation purposes. This type of arrangement is both unsightly and very difficult to move and set-up. Disclosed herein is a cooler produced from foam polystyrene which is low cost and light weight. The cooler may be reused or disgarded due to its low cost after a single use. Further, the cooler provides a tidy and attractive appearance. The construction of the cooler is such that the cooler may be shipped and stored with minimum space requirements. The cooler is assembled in such a manner to allow the keg to be lifted a minimum vertical distance for installation in the cooler with centering means provided locating the keg with respect to the cooler insuring ice is positioned completely around the keg side wall.